September 17, 1814

The Star Spangled Banner

On September 7, 1814, Francis Scott Key was detained aboard the British HMS Surprise. During a diplomatic mission to free a prisoner, Key had inadvertantly heard Britsh plans to attack Baltimore. During the battle, Key noted the 15 star, 15 stripe American flag flying over Fort Covington. Aboard the ship, Key penned a poem on the back of an envelope. On September 16th, freed from his confinement, he finished the poem in his hotel room in Baltimore. The next day, September 17, 1894 a printer in Baltimore printed the poem with the notation ""Tune: Anacreon in Heaven", an English drinking song. The newspaper the Baltimore Patriot printed the song and its popularity was immediately evident. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson made what had become known as "The Star-Spangled Banner" an official song to be played at military occassions. President Herbert Hoover signed a law in 1931 making the song the national anthem of the United States.